GIGABYTE Xtreme Gaming XTC700 CPU Cooler

The XTC700 tower is covered well with the all black 120mm fan with metallic hub sticker posting the GIGABYTE name on it. The fans frame is stylized to add appeal, and the shroud covering the top if form fit to the fan frame and while cleaner in appearance, does add height to the design.

From the side, we can see that this tower is cooled with a pair of matching fans and that the shroud does leave a gap at the top of the fin stack. We also see that every other fin has been bent over on the sides to help trap airflow and force it through the cooler, rather than being lost out the sides of the cooler.

The view of the back of the XTC700 is much the same as what we saw on the front, but this time the fan product sticker is visible. The fan of choice to cool this tower is a Power Logic PLA12025B12L, and is shown to have two ball bearings in each fan, and will draw no more than 0.12A.

On this side of the cooler, we want to start at the bottom, where we see three fat heat pipes centered in the cooler. This is not an offset design like what most of the market has moved to. We also want to mention that the fans are held in place with wire fan clips, and they seat into the tower on either side of the bent sections of fins.

The top of the XTC700 is highly stylized, with many shapes and angles designed into the black cover. GIGABYTE also paints orange on the four corners and to either side of the logo. The center is made of a milky white plastic, and once powered, is where the RGB LEDs will illuminate this tower cooler.

At the complete opposite end of the XTC700, we can see the aluminum base. On two sides you will locate threaded holes to accept the mounting hardware, and we can also see that this thick chunk of aluminum has fins milled into the top of it, so it can also act as a pre-cooler.

This image serves two purposes. First is the fact that when we look at where the heat pipes enter the fins, we see no signs of solder, as they are pressed onto the pipes. The second thing worth mentioning is that if you do run into an issue, this is the only location to find the serial number if asked to give it with the RMA request.

GIGABYTE is also sure to protect the base of the cooler, even if they do only use a thin layer of sticky plastic. Of course, as the warning states, be sure to remove this before you install the cooler.

With the sticker removed, we can see the lines left on the pipes and the base from the machining process. We do like that the gaps between copper and aluminum are almost nonexistent, but we do wish the pipes were closer together to make better use of the outer pipes.

Removing the fans allows us to see the fin arrangement. Each fin is a mirror image of the one next to it, delivering a staggered pattern of fins for the air to blow across. At the corners, we find rubber fan isolation pads, and down the center is a groove which is where the USB 2.0 cable runs.

Under the top cover for the tower, we find a PCB which at the top is connected via a 9-pin USB 2.0 cable. That is used for software control, which addresses the Holtek HT32F52342 32-bit MCU. On the near edge of the PCB is a 4-pin connection which drives the LEDs, and there is room for a second setup, but this cooler only uses the one.

Once the cooler is mounted, you will need to address this pair of connections. There is a single 4-pin PWM fan connector, which leads into a splitter, where both of the fans are connected. The other connection is the USB 2.0, and we found the wire is not long enough to go up and over the motherboard, it has to be routed under the video card and access the port that way.

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